Carp are a formidable opponent no matter what. When you add a fly rod into that mix some would say that they’re damn near impossible. I try to spend as much time as possible targeting them because for me, they offer a unique sight fishing opportunity in an area that doesn’t offer a lot of chances to sight fish. I like walking the banks of a lake or river staring intently into the water hoping to see a shadow, or fin or if I’m really lucky a tail peeking from the surface of the water.
That doesn’t mean I’m opposed to blind fishing for them either. Out here we can drift nymphs or egg flies under an indicator and still hook fish when the water is muddy. We’ve got lakes that hold fish in the 20lb range regularly. The best part is that it’s close; you won’t hear an excuse about why I haven’t been fishing. Instead I’m more likely to tell you about all the fish I’ve been catching. I can go on about how the big carp I hooked the other day took me through a shopping cart and broke me off going out the other side.
I can also go on about how when a carp’s tail catches the sunlight the reds and oranges glow. You might think that the bugle shaped mouth looks suckerish. I think about how efficient that mouth is at rooting out food from the rocks and how quickly it can take in and spit out anything that’s artificial. I look at those wide shoulders and broad tail and think about how strong they are on the end of a fly rod. You can get frustrated by how spooky they can be, while I prefer to focus on how to get within casting range without being seen.
Carp are just cool like that…